Lifestyle Education through Discipleship™ musings

Have you missed our latest reviews? If you aren’t subscribed to Me & My House musings, our monthly email newsletter, you’re missing them. But we’ll share now. Here’s one from a recent issue.

This summer I was blessed to meet face-to-face an internet friend, who is also a homeschool resource provider. Her resource line intrigued me, so I asked to take a peek, so I could review it for you.

Grapvine Studies are Bible studies done by “stick figuring”. The concept is hear it, do it, see it which makes for great retention. Diana, the author, has several studies available, but the one I received was the Old Testament Overview from Creation to Jacob, for Levels 3 and 4 (upper elementary – early teen).

The first thing I read in the teacher’s book (which covers both Levels, 3 and 4) was that “Grapevine Studies teaches the Bible as if it were a puzzle, doing the frame first. Once the framework is in place then individual pieces are much easier to place and understand in the context of the “whole puzzle”.” (I omitted her content in parenthesis for space here.) Since this is the same analogy I give in my L.E.D. Seminar on teaching from whole to parts, I figured we were off to a good start.

So, to begin a Grapevine Study, in Lesson (week) 1, you first create a “stick figure” timeline overview for the entire study. The resources show you the figures to draw, and give you the basic information to share about them. This provides a quick overview of what you will be studying in the remaining lessons. For the remaining Lessons (weeks), you will review the section of the timeline that you are focusing on for that week, then expand that lesson, learning more about each of the points you have drawn, and completing Student Pages for this expanded information.

Each daily lesson includes Scripture reading, discussion (for which Dianna gives you key points to cover,) and drawing (or taking notes) on a Student Page. A Memory Verse is also included. At the end of the week, there are Review Questions (and answers for the teacher). In addition to the Timeline pages and main Student Pages, Level 3 also focuses on Bible Geography, including mapping, and Level 4 focuses on learning to use Bible reference books, with appropriate study directed in a Topical Bible, Bible Dictionary, and Concordance for the coming lesson.

I also received two other Timeline resources. The Old Testament Wall Timeline is a very nice stick figured timeline for the complete Old Testament. I love the way it looks like a scroll. This would look great on your wall! The Old Testament Timeline: Multi-Level Teacher is directions for making the complete timeline for the Old Testament. It is the same as the directions in the Part 1 Teacher’s book, only extended beyond Jacob to the entire Old Testament.

I like that these studies teach in a whole to parts way, presenting information within context; including that Job is appropriately taught within the narrative of Genesis; that they utilize Notebooking in a fun, individually creative, yet orderly, way; that the teacher is encouraged to do her own study and present her own applications, applicable to her own children.

I think these resources could be used along with our Freedom & Simplicity™ studies in Lifestyle Education through Discipleship™. The (complete) Old (and New) Testament Overview studies could easily be adjusted, time-wise, to be used as the Year 1 Bible Survey resources, if desired, in place of (or in addition to) the Picture Smart Bible (previously Picture This!) that we also recommend. (Review of the new version coming soon.) Or you could use just the Timelines along with other resources. Just more options for you to find what works best for your family.

See them all at: GrapevineStudies.com

SDG - For God's Glory Alone, For Me & My House, Me & My House ministries ~ Discipleship for Life!